'Kota Factory' director opens up on 'expectations' ahead of second season's release

Taking the internet by storm in 2019, the TVF series Kota Factory is gearing up to showcase the second chapter in the life of the students in the ruthlessly competitive environment of the city. The IIT aspirants will face new challenges and learn new lessons while trying to bring their beloved Jeetu Bhaiya back. The second season of India's first-ever black-and-white web series has got fans expecting greater things from the series ahead of its release, however, director Raghav Subbu recently talked about how 'Expectation is the biggest killer'.

With a 9.2 rating on IMDb and a 4.9 rating on Google reviews, Kota Factory was all the rage in 2019 which only became a matter of concern for the director while taking on the second season. Subbu told PTI,

''Going by season one's response, it was intimidating to jump into season two because you automatically feel the need to not ape or mimic what worked in season one. As a director, I was looking to see that this show progresses organically into what it was supposed to be and not what it should be.''

Raghav Subbu on Kota Factory

The director opened about how he can never fully meet the expectations of the audience. He added, ''I'll keep trying for the rest of my life but I can never say that I have my finger on this craft. And I think the day you say that I know everything is the day you die." Aiming to touch upon the topics like loneliness experienced by the students preparing for competitive exams, the director believed that the show was able to resonate with many students.

Subbu said, ''Things that people liked about 'Kota Factory' season one was not just the fact that it's somebody going to a city and just giving an exam, wanting to go make it to the IIT. There were so many things that we highlighted with the show, like the theme of loneliness. The show is slow because life in Kota is slower than in other urban cities. So it's a slow town. Kids study there all the time and it's just about ambition. We are trying to bring that soul into the show''

Raghav Subbu on the series' monochrome theme

He also shared an insight into the decision of going with a black and white theme for the series. Talking about the general notion of monochrome themes being apt for a period or darker dramas, Subbu aimed to present a unique element through the show. He said, ''The point of art is to question things. I wanted to do a spin on something that is so set in stone. (The general idea is) it's either like a 'Sin City', which has a very graphic novel kind of feel or a period piece like 'The Artist'. We have these associations that we have in our head when it comes to everything. As a director and as a creator, I want to challenge those things.''

He further added that he does not wish to provide a specific reason for choosing a monochrome theme as he wants the audience to 'intrinsically reflect and discuss'. Kota Factory 2 will be released on Netflix on September 24. The cast will include actors like Jeetendra Kumar, Mayur More, Ahsaas Channa, Alam Khan among others.

Inputs from PTI

Image: Instagram/@rranjanraj18